UKstages

no, just no. it's really not. it does happen from time to time, and when it does it has a negative impact on the guest experience. again, we can choose to overlook it and get on with our cruise... how we respond is up to us. but this is not about us. it's about a cabin that hasn't been cleaned properly. a messy or unclean hotel room or cabin or items left behind in showers or drawers or under the bed should not be any part of the expected hospitality experience and should not be endorsed or minimized.

what does that mean exactly? assuming that comedians on carnival (many of whom also appear on other cruise lines) perform on a well lit stage and speak into a microphone, i'm baffled as to how carnival does it better. are the comedians funnier on carnival? is that what you're saying? that somehow the level of hilarity is higher? or is it that they schedule comedians with greater frequency than NCL... several a night, every night? how does carnival do comedy? i've sailed on carnival, but i'm still not sure what this means, so i'd be interested in your perspective.

if you forego doing two bags of laundry, you'll save enough to afford the upcharge on the boeuf rossini at le bistro.

i'm not really sure i see anybody demanding anything, especially a deep cleaning. i just want the areas you mentioned (toilet, shower, sink, bathroom floor, carpet, trash, bed linens) to be spotless, which may or may not include "sterilization" or "sanitizing" with chemical compounds, depending on the area.

tough crowd. i find nothing wrong with the OP's careful and considered report. it's not a litany of complaints... it's a "hey, a couple of odd things happened to me today that didn't look right as i boarded the encore..." and then those things were detailed... you know, as if the OP was writing in a public forum in which cruise experiences are shared. all this debate about items left behind and legitimate reasons a cabin attendant might miss something and the suggestions to overlook less than pristine rooms is noise. they serve to successfully shift the focus away from shoddy housekeeping and on to the guest. but the guest didn't clean the room! the cabin attendant did. and the guest doesn't get paid to clean the room, but the cabin attendant does... and that is, in fact, the primary responsibility of the cabin attendant. how a guest chooses to respond to the discovery of a poorly cleaned cabin is an entirely different issue than whether or not the cabin should have been cleaned properly. all this talk of "oh, it happens everywhere, it's no big deal, get over it" reminds me of when kids say "oh, mom, please, all my friends are doing it and they say it's OK." to which the mother invariably responds, "if your friends told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?" just because you found a tennis ball under the bed at a courtyard by marriott once, doesn't mean it's OK for an NCL cabin attendant to leave a used razor in a shower. a guest has the right to expect a spotless well cleaned cabin, whether it's in the haven or an inside cabin next to the medical center. it's not my job to remove a used bar of soap (with hair from down below) or a razor from the shower, anymore than it's my responsibility to throw away a box of mallomars left in a bureau drawer. it's not my job to distribute free style dailies to every cabin, so why should i be expected to change the sheets and disinfect the bathroom?

there is zero sensitivity or controversy to this topic... none. some overzealous folks may be confusing the OP's clearly stated question and intent for the subterfuge and misdirection expressed by a poster in another thread.

all true, but in the haven and the vibe, bartenders routinely offer free "samples" of premium liquor and often "forget" to charge you the overage if you order something not covered. (not so much in the haven restaurant, but at the bar.)

unless they have raised the price recently, caipirinhas are actually included in the lowly regular beverage package... premium plus is not required.

not sure where you got this curious notion, but the bird is correct. it's 10K in any monetary instrument, into or out of the country. your million dollar check is not exempt. that's a bit of. a stretch, doncha think? you have not one, but two fantastic notions there. just out of curiosity, how many times have you been pulled over by state and local cops on your way to the cruise terminal? did they suspect you of a crime and initiate a civil forfeiture of all assets in your possession? oh, and CBP is primarily interested in what individual travelers take into the country, not what they remove. if you anticipate needing a large bankroll, the advantage play is to charge casino cash to your room folio. you'll pay 3% for the privilege, but if you're a premium player, the convenience fee will be waived. and if you're dealing with big numbers, you presumably already have an affinity credit card that pays you 3% or greater in rewards and/or points.

if you hold the "elite" player level within the CAS loyalty program, and you want the drink package... pay the gratuities on the FAS beverage package before you sail... you'll be upgraded to the premium plus package. whether that's done prior to the sailing so that it prints out on your card when you check-in or whether the shipboard host team has to set that up once you're onboard remains to be seen. to be perfectly frank, i don't know that they've thought these things through. ideally, the "upgrade" should be done by your PCC as you book the cruise. but you might have to have your card recoded and reprinted. as i stated upthread, i booked a new cruise yesterday, but opted out of the drink package, so i didn't ask any questions about the upgrade. i assume that we would be charged gratuities on the standard FAS package... after all, that;'s the one we're ordering. they couldn't possibly charge the gratuities for the premium plus package... or could they? it is NCL, after all. no, we do know! they have eliminated free drinks at all tier levels. unless they reverse this dumb decision, you must pay FAS gratuities to get drinks in the casino. or purchase them outright on an individual basis, and elite members need to have paid gratuities on standard FAS beverage package in order to get "upgraded" to premium plus. the first line on the internal memorandum reads "free drink cards are gone." no, absolutely not. the IRS policy is that slot machine jackpot winnings of $1,200 or more require that a W2-G tax form be issued to the winning player and that the earnings are reported to the IRS. casinos are not allowed to set their own rules nor do they issue tax forms based on the odds of hitting a particular jackpot. you may be confusing this with a rule that says paperwork must be issued if the winnings are greater than $600 and 300 times the amount wagered. if you are in a poker tournament the threshold for reportable winnings is $5000. also, 1099 forms are not issued for ordinary slot jackpots... you'll get a W2-G for that. 1099s are issued for miscellaneous earnings such as contest prizes, gifts and slot tournaments. thanks, bird, and others who have educated me on this. i had no idea. i do think they're running afoul of US tax law and will have to eventually start issuing paperwork for winnings... but for now, looks like i'll be seeing if i can get an MSC status match or i'll be working through... oops, i can't say the name because it is technically a travel agency, but all this particular company does is book players on comped cruises and land-based casino stays... based on your offers with other casinos and cruise lines.

as i said in my post, outside of the USA, the IRS rules do not apply. where MSC is incorporated is irrelevant. if it was an itinerary that originated in the USA, or called on US ports, they should issued a W2-G. on a side note, there is long overdue movement to legislative action spurred on by two congressmen from nevada who have tried to get the IRS reporting threshold raised from its archaic level of $1200. that's a dollar figure established over 45 years ago when nevada was the only place in the US with legalized gambling and when there were no $1 or $5 machines. people were playing quarter machines and 1K was a huge jackpot! the IRS actually supports this move and recommends the threshold be changed to $5800, which would eliminate paperwork for most jackpots. ($5800 is actually higher than the congressmen recommended!) needles to say, the casino industry supports this change, as well. well, at least they found something else to do with the marketing whiz who wrote "for your convenience." glad to see he or she is still gainfully employed!

i didn't ask about the admin fee, per se. but i mentioned it and said how ridiculous it was that they charged it, since their competitors do not. i also told him i had almost a million dollars coin-through last year and i find it remarkable that NCL can't buy me a free drink and doesn't think i'm a good candidate to waive twenty dollars a day in admin fees. if for some reason, they had removed the fee (unlikely, in light of the other changes), he certainly should have said so!

not everybody is following both threads on this topic, so i'm including a link here to my most recent post in that other thread. i've received confirmation from NCL that pretty much everything we have speculated on is true and there are no exceptions for cruises booked prior to 4/1...

that was either a mistake... a very serious mistake... or perhaps you hit for a total of $1700 in two independent actions? the machines are programmed to "lock up" at jackpots of $1200 and above. i have never seen a machine that didn't, except outside of the USA. that just doesn't make sense. it can't possibly be an MSC corporate policy. as for the matter under discussion and the topic of this thread... i just called CAS. with the full understanding that you can often get different responses from different team members, here is what the rep confirmed, in many cases reading verbatim from the internal memo: jade tier is gone. pearl is now lowest tier. drink cards are gone... all tier levels. no grandfathering and no exceptions for cruises booked prior to 4/1/24. the only way to get drinks in the casino will be by having a FAS package or by purchasing them. yes, ruby and elite will be upgraded to the premium plus drink package, provided they have paid FAS drink gratuities, and that benefit will follow them throughout the ship, not just in the casino. (my take on this is that it's actually a legitimate perk and more in keeping with traditional casino benefits on land... that your status follows you about the property. of course, for folks who don't drink much or who opt out of the drink package and were counting on water and an occasional casino beverage, this is devastating news.) yes, a "water package" has been added. he had no details. (whatever it is, it ain't gonna be the same as picking up a carton of water - or a bottle of pellegrino for ruby and elite players - every night on your way back to the cabin.) he had no details about the "behind the scenes tour," either, but he guesses that it's the same as the platinum and above tour. (so for you platinums and above, expect even more competition on embarkation day when you try to book.) OBC for pearl is gone. OBC remains at $200, $400 and $1000 for sapphire, ruby and elite respectively. (so that's a modicum of good news in an otherwise absurd announcement from CAS.) my suggestion is to call CAS if you are unhappy with these changes. NCL uses speech analytics software in their call centers, so make sure you use words like "disappointed" and "crazy" and "cancel" and "outrageous" and that you drop the names of competitors like "MSC" and "carnival" and "royal caribbean" and "virgin." use phrases like "ridiculous admin fee" and "you can't do this" and "you've taken away benefits without notice" and "that's unfair." if you use words and phrases like that, they'll be picked up via their "sentiment" tracker. and will be discussed in c-suite meetings. and execs will demand to know what is being done to mitigate the customer discontent. (unless they really don't care and they think they know better than any other casino on land or sea as to how casino comps work and how players should be rewarded.) also, reach out to every cruise vlogger and blogger that you have ever watched. there's a story here... especially about the benefits removal with no notice. get some media coverage around this issue. write letters to corporate. decisions do get reversed when they are so clearly indefensible. players are funny. we will drop hundreds or thousands of dollars in a machine or at a table... but charge us for drinks and we will walk. and that is indeed my final piece of advice... if the program is no longer working for you... walk! forget about your status. it can be easily matched or earned with another cruise line. take your business elsewhere. take your "free" cruise and relax. don't give them the same play you used to. enjoy your (limited) benefits while onboard. and then say goodbye.

I don't use NCL air, but I just dropped by to offer a perspective as a frequent flyer... most of these convenient "one stop" international flights of which you speak... the ones from american hub cities... they are to europe. NCL has cruises that depart from many other parts of the world. and - when flying on consolidator fares using NCL - asia and oceania and australasia will almost always require an additional stop. this is true when i'm booking flights using miles and so i imagine it's the same when booking through NCL. there are a few direct flights from manila and sydney and auckland and tokyo (and other cities), but you will rarely find them at a discount and so you would be very lucky to get one using NCL air. and this could turn a 20 or 24 hour journey into a 30 or 36 hour journey.

i'm in the same boat (see what i did there?). i booked something today and for the first time opted out of the FAS beverages. i had been planning to do this, as i found on my most recent cruise, i just didn't drink much at all. and when i did, i would stop at the casino before dinner for a glass of pommery rosé. i also recently purchased an annual travel insurance plan, so i opted out of "travel protection," as well. as a newly minted "elite" player within CAS, i am looking forward to the increased OBC and the other modest benefits. when i booked today, there was no mention of reduction in benefits, but i didn't think to ask, either. my decision to opt out of the beverage package, however, was absolutely predicated on the knowledge that i could get water and adult beverages at the casino for free. so... looking at the published chart in this thread... it can't be just an accident that "free drinks while playing in the casino" is gone for all tier levels. it's always a dangerous game to guess what NCL was thinking... but it sure does look like they are trying to force all guests into buying a beverage package, albeit with a modest free upgrade for ruby and elite players an "upgrade" is not free drinks... you have to first buy the FAS drink package (pay the gratuities) before you can be "upgraded." handwriting... meet wall.

well, you're not disagreeing as much as sharing your personal experience, which is what the forum is all about. ironically, my only experience in a haven room outside the haven proper was also on the joy and my experience was exactly the opposite of yours. i received a warm welcome from the cabin attendant, who, by the way, was named "joy." YMMV (and apparently has) and it may be as simple as it's more difficult on ships, such as the joy, on which some haven cabins share a common hallway with non-haven cabins and the door to that area is locked until the general "all clear" announcement. without knowing more details, it sounds to me like you couldn't get to the cabin because of a locked perimeter door... and that this was not a case of being told "no bag drop for you!" by the staff. if you could have found your way in there, i seriously doubt that a haven cabin attendant would say no to a quick bag drop. but i could be wrong.

the blue man group show used toilet paper under the careful supervision of a stage management team and a fire safety warden. all the paper was disposed of responsibly and safely after each show. kindly see post #25 for a representative example. i've seen far worse on NCL. what's your point here? that NCL will sacrifice fire safety for revenue? or that the cabin steward will gladly hang paper streamers within a secure cabin behind a firesafe metal door? that's not possible in the hallway... hence the fire regulations. the context is that these rubber and plastic pests are placed in hallways and stairwells where people can trip over them. it's a nuisance. and a safety hazard. they are also flammable, just like paper and magnets! they are "floor decorations" and should be banned.

free drinks are table stakes for casinos, pun intended. that is to say, they are an entry level expectation for any casino worldwide, except where prohibited by law. (and in those cases, the drinks are deeply discounted or they have a rebate scheme for preferred players.) it seems a bit churlish, not to mention pennywise and pound foolish, to not offer free drinks to players, regardless of their casino status. is this intended to drive some players to purchase a drink package when they hadn't previously? perhaps. but you have to remember. that the free drink benefit is only valid during casino opening hours. so, on a port-intensive itinerary, you're only getting free drinks at sea (except in bermuda). and only at night, and during the day, only on sea days. so many casino players do in fact buy a drink package. in that case, they are using the casino benefit only for water and energy drinks. are they somehow (to NCL's way of thinking) abusing that privilege? perhaps. but how much is that really costing, especially when weighed against a 92% or 93% casino hold? this is just silly. also, it is rare for loyalty programs to announce major changes with just a month's notice (or less). typically, airlines, hotels, casinos and other hospitality providers announce program changes for the following year... so you know the perks of whatever status you have earned in advance. and the announcement, such as it is, raises more questions than it answers. some of those questions have been raised above by others. as for new benefits... other than the water package, which, i assume, is something delivered to your room, there is only one new benefit that has been added... and that is a behind the scenes tour for ruby and elite players. if they really wanted to improve the CAS program, they should eliminate the onerous admin fee, which places them at a competitive disadvantage with almost every other cruise line, almost all of which offer status matches. i posted a list of recommended CAS changes/benefits in another thread in the casino forum. you can find those suggestions in post #3 of this thread...

unless you manage the peabody, in memphis. hiding ducks on cruise ships is dangerous, people trip over them, especially in stairwells. but there are no rules against them on NCL. not yet, anyway. there probably will be, at some point; the cruise line is taking a tremendous risk by allowing them. i can't see how this could go on much longer. but i said that about platform shoes, too. rest assured, when they perish in a cruise ship fire exacerbated by their door decorations, those eulogizing them will most likely not criticize them for having decorated their doors. that would be rude. it would be truthful, but it would be rude nonetheless. ruh-roh. does donald know about this?

that's fantastic. there are advantages for many folks with latitudes or casino status to book B2Bs as separate reservations... more FAS meals, double the number of free status meals, double OBC and so forth... but getting a ten day price for the vibe for a twenty day cruise is a great deal. enjoy!

which ship? the prima never made it to isafjordur the entire 2023 season. the port needed to be dredged, the prima doesn't have tenders, yadda yadda, yadda. there are multiple threads on cruise critic about this. the smaller ships had better success with calling on isafjordur. i used NCL excursions while in iceland for a variety of reasons, so can't really send you in the right direction for tour companies. others will be along shortly to do that, i'm sure. what i do recommend is you google "NCL excursions" and then the city name. all the tours will pop up. then you can take those tour names and put them in the google machine and see other companies that are offering similar tours what i will say is that excursions in iceland tend to be quite expensive. there is a very high standard of living in iceland and tours are priced quite high. it is quite common for your bus driver (if taking a coach tour) to actually own the bus he's driving. you rarely see that in other countries. so, booking with other companies might also be pretty expensive in iceland. whichever tour you take out of akureyri, make sure it includes a visit to godafoss.

funny you should mention this. i use frequent flyer miles for my flights and most of my miles are on united. UA invested heavily in acquiring a fleet rich with all the 737 variants. it takes a lot of ingenuity to travel domestically on united and not be subjected to the 737.

just so you know... the oddly named club balcony "suite" isn't really a suite. it's an ever so slightly larger room than a standard balcony room, with (typically) a much larger bathroom... except on the prima class ships, on which the standard balcony bathrooms seem to be about the same size as the club balcony bathrooms. on many ships, you can get club balcony rooms with a connecting door.

i don't see that from the photo of the tier benefits posted. are you saying they have removed free drinks in the casino for some lower tiers? free drinks is a pretty sacrosanct casino benefit. and most people have a drinks package anyway, so all they would really giving away is water and energy drinks. really? they've cut free drinks?